Changes to school year for pupils in Wales on hold til 2026
Proposals which would see the summer holiday cut in Wales won't be considered until at least 2026.
The Welsh Government has announced that proposed changes to the school year including reducing the summer holidays from 6 weeks to 4 will be delayed until at least the next Senedd term.
This means the changes will not come into force until at least the next Senedd election in 2026.
The Welsh Government said this delay is because their consultation into school changes was given a 'mixed response' from over 16,000 responses.
In a statement, they said 'While a narrow majority of responses were in favour of changing school holidays', the findings of the consultation were 'contradictory' and highlighted a need for more discussion over any changes.
The main change that was proposed included reducing the school summer holidays from 6 weeks to 4, and evenly distributing the rest of the holidays throughout the school year.
In a statement, the Education Secretary Lynne Neagle said:
“My starting point is always the best interests of children and young people. This means ensuring reforms are properly planned out and have the time and space to succeed.
“Opinion was hugely divided on this. To ensure we get this right, we need to continue listening to and engaging with schools, teachers, unions as well as children, young people and parents on how best we can implement any changes in the future".
The NAHT Cymru union responded to this announcement, saying changes to the school year should never have been a main priority, and that more fundamental changes to schooling in Wales was needed first.
In a statement, the union's national secretary Laura Doel said “This should never have been a priority, especially amid other reforms to the curriculum and alternative learning needs provision.
"We are grateful to the cabinet secretary for being brave enough to put much more pressing issues to the top of her agenda rather than pressing ahead with a reform which would have had no benefit to learners.”
Eithne Hughes, director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, said: "We are relieved that this decision has been made, although calling it a 'pause' sounds like a face-saving exercise as it is surely pointless to go round this loop again.
"As the consultation proved, and as we knew all along, there is no unanimous call from parents or teachers for changes to be made to the school holidays."
Ms Hughes added it was "disappointing" the issue has been given such a high priority by the Welsh government, branding it an "unwelcome distraction and an enormous waste of time"